Monday - November 08, 2021
For God says:
Pray wholeheartedly. . . though you may feel nothing, though you may see
nothing . . . for in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in weakness,
then is your prayer most pleasing to Me.
~~St. Julian of Norwich
TODAY'S READINGS
Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 491
Reading 1
Love justice, you who judge the earth;
think of the Lord in goodness,
and seek him in integrity of heart;
Because he is found by those who test him not,
and he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him.
For perverse counsels separate a man from God,
and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy;
Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not,
nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin.
For the holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit
and withdraws from senseless counsels;
and when injustice occurs it is rebuked.
For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips;
Because God is the witness of his inmost self
and the sure observer of his heart
and the listener to his tongue.
For the Spirit of the Lord fills the world,
is all-embracing, and knows what man says.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”
And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
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THE POTENTIAL OF THE MUSTARD SEED
Today's Gospel reading seems to be a smattering of unrelated quips by Jesus. It's as if he were writing bumper stickers or pithy sayings for billboards in front of churches.
However, when Luke wrote this Gospel, he had a deliberate reason for putting these pearls of holy wisdom here, one right after the other. Jesus was challenging his followers with the implied question: Do you have true faith? Let us examine our answers.
If we have true faith in Jesus, we're enthralled by who he really is -- we're excited, amazed and fascinated. Because of this, we focus on his every word, so much so that we grow in our understanding of the truth and we become better at living the truth. We becoming more and more unwilling to sin or cause a scandal. And we become less and less likely to accidentally cause a scandal.
If we have true faith in Jesus, we notice how readily he forgives everyone, no matter what they've done, and that he has compassion for their regret, joy for their desire to change, and patience for any continued stumbling. We also realize that he knows each sinner's heart far better than we do, and so we quit judging them, we quit holding grudges, and we freely choose to be merciful to them.
If we have true faith in Jesus, we don't have to have a big faith to succeed spiritually or to get our prayers answered. Even beginners -- newly enlivened Christians who've barely started the journey of spiritual discovery -- have enough faith to cast trees into the sea. Really? How? Well, remember that faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. We have God's own faith within us! That's more than enough.
True faith is only a matter of remaining true to the faith. Instead of behaving as if the Holy Spirit hasn't made us any different from people who live without God, our behavior is based on what Jesus taught and did and what his Spirit empowers us to do. And when we fail at that, we run to the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist for healing, purification, and renewed strength.
Jesus isn't asking us to have enormous faith in him, just real faith. The value of a mustard seed is in its potential to grow -- to become more than itself -- when properly nourished. You already have the potential for casting trees into the sea -- for casting obstacles far from where they can interfere with what God wants for you -- so now it's just a matter of feeding your faith growth.
Never underestimate the importance of your faith, even it if seems too small. Trust the truth. Your holiness will grow!
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, I have been hurt so many times, and so many times I have tried to forgive. I need Your grace, Lord, because I just can't do it alone. Increase my faith! I give You my desire to forgive; please send Your Spirit to help me forgive. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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