MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Thursday - October 28, 2021

Thursday - October 28, 2021

“If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, 

the entire world would be saved.”

-Pope St. Pius X

October 28, 2021

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Lectionary: 666

 

Reading 1                                                                 Eph 2:19-22

 

Brothers and sisters:

You are no longer strangers and sojourners,

but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones

and members of the household of God,

built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.

Through him the whole structure is held together

and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;

in him you also are being built together

into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              19:2-3, 4-5

 

R.    (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.

 

The heavens declare the glory of God,

    and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day pours out the word to day,

    and night to night imparts knowledge.

R.    Their message goes out through all the earth.

Not a word nor a discourse

    whose voice is not heard;

Through all the earth their voice resounds,

    and to the ends of the world, their message.

R.    Their message goes out through all the earth.

 

Alleluia                                                                      See Te Deum

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We praise you, O God,

we acclaim you as Lord;

the glorious company of Apostles praise you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 6:12-16

 

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,

and he spent the night in prayer to God.

 

When day came, he called his disciples to himself,

and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:

Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,

James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,

Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,

Simon who was called a Zealot,

and Judas the son of James,

and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 

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Successful Faith in A Family of Sinful Saints

You and I are members of the same imperfect household. It's a growing family, and often it's a squabbling family, because it not only includes the perfected saints in heaven but also the unfinished saints who still live on earth. In the first reading today, St. Paul says that we form a building, the foundation of which is the apostles and prophets. The capstone is Jesus, and he keeps our Church from falling apart despite our human failings, divisions, and weaknesses.

 

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus discerns which of his disciples should be trained as future leaders of the Church. Today we celebrate the sainthood of two: Simon who was called a Zealot because he was zealous about obeying both Jewish law and Canaanite law, and Jude (or Judas) the son of James and a relative of Jesus. They are both good examples of how Christians can be so imperfect yet so very effective in ministry.

 

Jude had a pastoral approach to ministry. He wrote his New Testament letter after experiencing hardships in his ministry. His letter includes a strong encouragement to persevere in difficulties. However, he didn't always have this wisdom. Look at him in the Last Supper of Jesus: He tried to convince Jesus to show himself to the whole world after his resurrection (see John 14:22). Wouldn't that have made Jude's work as an evangelizer much easier!

 

Successful ministry is neither easy nor convenient. And praise God for that! It's the trials and hardships, when used for the glory of God, that produce the compassion -- the pastoral approach -- that's found in those who are leader-servants like Christ.

 

Simon had a legalistic approach to ministry. He promoted scrupulous obedience to religious and civil laws. But he learned that the Law of Love is the bottom line and the highest goal of all other laws, rules, and regulations. Jesus taught him that a successful evangelizer meets people where they're at and then lovingly invites them to conversion.

 

Whenever we look at any Church law from the angle of its loving benefits, we can lead others directly to those benefits without forcing obedience through scolding and threats of hell. Legalistic obedience doesn't convert hearts to God's love. Compassionate outreach produces a humble response, which then opens the sinner to learn the real value of Church laws, which then produces obedience. This is the evangelization strategy we're witnessing in Pope Francis.

 

We all belong to an imperfect household, but the Church has survived more than 2000 years of scandals and divisions and other human failings, because Jesus is the capstone. We are all at different stages of holiness and spiritual growth, but we are equally siblings in God's family, held together by the unitive presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist -- Hey Saint Jude! Jesus is showing himself to the whole world, post-resurrection!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord Jesus: Today I decide to make my most important decisions in dialogue with You. May Your word be my guide and strengthen me for the path. Amen. 

 

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!”