GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Tuesday - September 06, 2022

 

Tuesday - September 06, 2022

What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with His beggar, you! You are filled and you are empty. Fill your empty neighbor from your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled from God's fullness.

-- Saint Augustine

September 6, 2022

Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 438

 

Reading 1                                                     1 Cor 6:1-11

 

Brothers and sisters:

How can any one of you with a case against another

dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment

instead of to the holy ones?

Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world?

If the world is to be judged by you,

are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?

Do you not know that we will judge angels?

Then why not everyday matters?

If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters,

do you seat as judges people of no standing in the Church?

I say this to shame you.

Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough

to be able to settle a case between brothers?

But rather brother goes to court against brother,

and that before unbelievers?

 

Now indeed then it is, in any case,

a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another.

Why not rather put up with injustice?

Why not rather let yourselves be cheated?

Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers.

Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived;

neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers

nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves

nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers

will inherit the Kingdom of God.

That is what some of you used to be;

but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified,

you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

and in the Spirit of our God.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

 

R. (see 4) The Lord takes delight in his people.

 

Sing to the LORD a new song

of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,

let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,

let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the LORD loves his people,

and he adorns the lowly with victory.

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

Let the faithful exult in glory;

let them sing for joy upon their couches;

Let the high praises of God be in their throats.

This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.

R. The Lord takes delight in his people.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Jn 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,

That you may go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       LK 6:6-11

 

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,

and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely

to see if he would cure on the sabbath

so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

But he realized their intentions

and said to the man with the withered hand,

“Come up and stand before us.”

And he rose and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them,

“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath

rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?”

Looking around at them all, he then said to him,

“Stretch out your hand.”

He did so and his hand was restored.

But they became enraged

and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

 

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Reconciling with Another

This passage above offers the first of three steps Jesus offers to reconcile with someone who has sinned against you.  The steps Jesus offers are as follows: 1) Speak privately to the person. 2) Bring two or three others to help with the situation. 3) Bring it to the Church.  If after trying all three steps you are not able to reconcile, then Jesus says, “…treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.”

 

The first and most important point to mention in this process of reconciliation is that we should keep the sin of another quiet, between them and us, until we have sincerely tried to reconcile.  This is hard to do!  So often when someone sins against us, the first temptation we have is to go forth and tell others about it.  This may be done out of hurt, anger, a desire for revenge, or the like.  So the first lesson we should learn is that the sins another commits against us are not details we have a right to tell others about, at least not at first.

 

The next important steps offered by Jesus do involve others and the Church.  But not so that we can express our anger, gossip or criticism or to bring them public humiliation.  Rather, the steps of involving others are done so as to assist another in repentance, so that the person in error sees the gravity of the sin.  This takes humility on our part.  It requires a humble attempt to help them not only see their error but to also change.

 

The final step, if they do not change, is to treat them like a Gentile or tax collector.  But even this must be understood properly.  How do we treat a Gentile or tax collector?  We treat them with a desire for their continued conversion.  We treat them with continued respect, while at the same time acknowledge that we are not “on the same page.”

 

Reflect, today, upon any relationship you have that requires healing and reconciliation.  Seek to follow this humble process given by our Lord and continue to remain hopeful that the grace of God will prevail.

 

Lord of true healing, give me a humble and merciful heart so that I may reconcile with those who have sinned against me.  I forgive them, dear Lord, just as You have forgiven me.  Give me the grace to seek reconciliation in accord with Your perfect will.  Jesus, I trust in You.

 

 

Today's Prayer

 

Thank You, Lord, because Your love heals all our wounds. Give me courage to let myself be loved by You and to love my neighbors as You love us, beyond consequences. 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!”