GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Sunday - September 18, 2022

 

Sunday - September 18, 2022

True charity consists in putting up with all one's neighbor's faults, never being surprised by his weakness, and being inspired by the least of his virtues.

-- St. Therese of Lisieux

    

September 18, 2022

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 135

 

Reading 1                                                     Am 8:4-7

 

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy

 and destroy the poor of the land!

 "When will the new moon be over," you ask,

 "that we may sell our grain,

 and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?

 We will diminish the ephah,

 add to the shekel,

 and fix our scales for cheating!

 We will buy the lowly for silver,

 and the poor for a pair of sandals;

 even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!"

 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:

 Never will I forget a thing they have done!

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Ps 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8

 

R. (cf. 1a, 7b) Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

 

Praise, you servants of the LORD,

 praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD

 both now and forever.

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

 

High above all nations is the LORD;

 above the heavens is his glory.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high

 and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

 

He raises up the lowly from the dust;

 from the dunghill he lifts up the poor

to seat them with princes,

 with the princes of his own people.

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

 

Reading 2                                                                 1 Tm 2:1-8

 

Beloved:

First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,

petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,

for kings and for all in authority,

that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life

in all devotion and dignity.

This is good and pleasing to God our savior,

who wills everyone to be saved

and to come to knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God.

There is also one mediator between God and men,

     the man Christ Jesus,

who gave himself as ransom for all.

This was the testimony at the proper time.

For this I was appointed preacher and apostle

— I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —,

teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

 

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,

lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Cf. 2 Cor 8:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor,

so that by his poverty you might become rich.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 16:1-13

 

Jesus said to his disciples,

"A rich man had a steward

who was reported to him for squandering his property.

He summoned him and said,

'What is this I hear about you?

Prepare a full account of your stewardship,

because you can no longer be my steward.'

The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,

now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?

I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.

I know what I shall do so that,

when I am removed from the stewardship,

they may welcome me into their homes.'

He called in his master's debtors one by one.

To the first he said,

'How much do you owe my master?'

He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'

He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.

Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'

Then to another the steward said, 'And you, how much do you owe?'

He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.'

The steward said to him, 'Here is your promissory note;

write one for eighty.'

And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

"For the children of this world

are more prudent in dealing with their own generation

than are the children of light.

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 both God and mammon."

 

***********************************

Overcoming Self-Righteousness

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.”  Luke 15:1-2 

What a foolish and arrogant thing to say!  Jesus was merciful, welcoming, forgiving and loving to those who were sinners.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained about this as if Jesus were doing something wrong.  

On one level, it is understandable that the pride-filled scribes and Pharisees would look for anything they could to condemn Jesus.  They were on a sort of “witch hunt,” so to speak, seeking to find any fault they could with our Lord.  So, out of the fullness of their malice, they attempted to make it look like Jesus was an awful sinner due to the fact that He spent time with sinners and welcomed them.  

From a perspective of the pure truth, however, the jealousy, envy, manipulation and deception of the scribes and Pharisees are clear.  The “condemnation” they uttered against Jesus was no true condemnation at all.  It was a fabrication and a twisting of the truth.  The truth is that Jesus’ kindness to those who were sinners was a living out of His countless virtues.  He was understanding, merciful, compassionate, patient, forgiving and the like.  He saw troubled hearts and reached out to them in their need, especially when He could tell they were sorry, open and humble. 

We may all encounter those who are religiously “self-righteous” at times.  This is an ugly sin and one that should not sit well with us.  The problem is that those who are self-righteous are oftentimes also intimidating and oppressive.  Those who condemn others in the name of God are hard to confront.  Jesus’ initial response was to ignore them and to go about His ministry of love and compassion, telling parables and helping those in need.  But eventually He took these religious leaders on directly, condemning them for their pride and arrogance. 

Reflect, today, upon any tendency you have in your heart to judge another, especially when you try to do so in the name of God.  If you struggle with self-righteousness and pride, humble yourself now so that our Lord will not eventually be compelled to issue forth His justice on you!

Today’s Prayer

My most righteous Lord, please have mercy upon me and heal me of my sins.  Free me from all tendencies toward judgmentalness and help me, in imitation of You, to love and welcome the sinner in my midst so that I, as a sinner, will be welcomed by You.  Jesus, I trust in You. 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!”