Saturday - November 06, 2021
The sinner who is sorry for his sins
is closer to God than the just man
who boasts of his good works.
~~ St. Padre Pio
TODAY'S READINGS
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 490
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
greet also the Church at their house.
Greet my beloved Epaenetus,
who was the firstfruits in Asia for Christ.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junia,
my relatives and my fellow prisoners;
they are prominent among the Apostles
and they were in Christ before me.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,
and my beloved Stachys.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ greet you.
I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole Church, greets you.
Erastus, the city treasurer,
and our brother Quartus greet you.
Now to him who can strengthen you,
according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1b) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
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 revealed to the nations his saving power.
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 revealed to the nations his saving power.
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 revealed to the nations his saving power.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”
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Is the "Great Awakening" Real?
The Sacrament of Baptism fills us with the grace of God. In this miraculous moment, we're transfigured from children of Adam (enslaved to Original Sin) into children of Father God (set free from the traps of sin thanks to what Jesus did for us on the Cross). And in this truth lies a reality that has been too often overlooked:
As baptized Christians, we are saints.
How well do we live out our sainthood? How well are we reaching our full potential as children of Father God? We are either saints who are losing grace by sinning or we are saints who are gaining grace by actively working to repent and to grow in holiness. We cannot be both.
For a long time, the norm for Christians in "advanced" cultures (such as my own) has been to trust the illusion that we can be on both sides of the fence at the same time -- and that we can safely straddle the fence forever, with one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the ways of the world. It's the philosophy of having the "best" of both worlds. It's the idolatry of self in the church of moral relativism.
But Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:14). And he said, "Whoever is not with me is against Me, and whoever does not gather [i.e., evangelize, take the Good News to others and bring them to the Faith] with Me scatters [i.e., drives people away from Christ]" (Matthew 12:30). It's either-or. There's no grey area.
Living the illusion for such a long time has weakened us as a Church. God has allowed demons to take advantage of this so that we can plainly see evil for what it is, and repent. We are now living through the pains of purification and a wonderful awakening (praise God!) as more and more people realize that it's time to get off the fence.
I've studied the prophecies about the "Great Awakening" that some believe (and I hope) is coming soon. It's a supernatural event. It is said that everyone in the world, at the same time, will see Jesus as he really is. And we will see ourselves (and our sins) in complete clarity. This truth-seeing will stop Satan's lies and raise up a Church of saints who live out the realities of our baptisms.
Whether this turns out to be a many-month process like we're in the middle of now, or a 5- to 15-minute event as interpreted in prophecies, it's an arrival of Christ. He's coming to our rescue!
Our lost loved ones who have been persecuting us will see and understand the truth and be saved. Revival is coming! In fact, it's already begun in some non-Catholic Christian areas. Spirit-filled Protestant faith communities are experiencing bigger turnouts at revival meetings than they used to see. We too are beginning to see it happen -- for example, when parishes hold outdoor Eucharistic processions. It happens in parishes where the invitation is bold, Spirit-filled, and undeterred by censorship and other persecutions. It happens where priests energetically inspire their parishioners in evangelization.
How well are you living out your baptismal calling to be a saint who brings others to Jesus? Do not think yourself a failure if you do not succeed in converting those who have been rejecting you and your beliefs? They are not open to learning the truth from you. Get on with the task of living a radical, dynamic, obedient, Spirit-filled life. God will send you to others -- to people who are ready to hear the truth.
Today's Prayer
Enlighten, Lord, my mind with the light of Your Holy Spirit, to act with wisdom, strength and generosity. Amen.
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