Thursday - November 04, 2021
My Jesus, how good it is to love you!
Let me be like your disciples on Mount Tabor, seeing nothing else but you, my Savior.
Let us be as two friends, neither of whom can bear to offend the other. Amen.
~~ Saint john vianney
TODAY'S READINGS
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Lectionary: 488
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
Responsorial Psalm
R. ( 13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”
******************************
Living and dying for Christ
Saint Paul says in today's first reading that while we're alive on earth, we're to live for the Lord, and when we die, we should die still serving him, even with our final breaths.
As Christians who are serious about holy living, we put great emphasis on living for the Lord, but are we ready to die for the Lord? In service to others?
Dying for Jesus doesn't always mean martyrdom. We could wither away in a nursing home while dementia steals our ability to think and still die a holy death. Dying as a servant of God means that our souls make good use of the dying process. Every moment of our life, including our last one, should be lived for the glory of God and the purposes of his kingdom. Everything else is a waste of important opportunities.
We should be glad that we're going Home to the Lord. Death is our door from earth to heaven (which includes purgatory, the purging of whatever remains with us after death that cannot exist in the kingdom of God). But our deaths can mean so much more.
I want every moment of my life to be lived for God, in God, and through God. I want every day to make a difference in his kingdom. And I want my death to make no less of a difference, so I've put him in charge of how, when and where it happens. I pray that if I become demented and can no longer understand my surroundings, even then will my soul remain aware of God and the calling to pray for others.
If we suffer in dying, we can ask that our suffering be united with Christ's Passion for the sake of those who still need his redemption. If nothing else, we can ask that our death be so peaceful, no matter how deteriorated our health becomes, that it evangelizes those who watch.
What about the people who don't have this attitude? In today's Gospel reading, Jesus talks about the shepherd who seeks a lost sheep until it's found. A lost sheep is anyone who belongs to Jesus but isn't following him with the rest of the flock or has run away enticed by the unholy ways of the world. Because you know someone like this, remember the promise of this scripture. Pray for this person like so: "Lord Jesus, don't let -(name)- die until he/she is ready to be found by You." This prayer always gets answered!
Jesus will keep seeking and calling upon that person. He will not give up. He will take initiative and act in ways that you cannot see. Because your prayers are united with the prayers of Jesus himself, the Father will not allow death to come before Jesus is holding that person safely in his arms. It might happen at the moment of death, or perhaps sooner, but it will happen.
I witnessed this in my father-in-law. Even in the brain-fog of Alzheimer's disease, he opened himself to God's love during the last two weeks of his life. God is awesome! He always keeps his promises!
Today's Prayer
Lord, help me to be merciful in my thoughts about others and to look at my brothers and sisters as You look at Your children. Amen.
------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment