GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY - Sunday - October 23, 2022

 

Sunday - October 23, 2022

"Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore."

--St. Augustine

October 23, 2022

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 150

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Sir 35:12-14, 16-18

 

The LORD is a God of justice,

 who knows no favorites.

 Though not unduly partial toward the weak,

 yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.

 The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,

 nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.

 The one who serves God willingly is heard;

 his petition reaches the heavens.

 The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;

 it does not rest till it reaches its goal,

 nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,

 judges justly and affirms the right,

 and the Lord will not delay.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

 

R. (7a)  The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD confronts the evildoers,

to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,

and from all their distress he rescues them.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;

and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;

no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

Reading 2                                                     2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18

 

Beloved:

I am already being poured out like a libation,

and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have competed well; I have finished the race;

I have kept the faith.

From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,

which the Lord, the just judge,

will award to me on that day, and not only to me,

but to all who have longed for his appearance.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,

but everyone deserted me.

May it not be held against them!

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,

so that through me the proclamation might be completed

and all the Gentiles might hear it.

And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat

and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.

To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8          2 Cor 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

and entrusting to us the message of salvation.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Lk 18:9-14

 

Jesus addressed this parable

to those who were convinced of their own righteousness

and despised everyone else.

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;

one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,

'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --

greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'

But the tax collector stood off at a distance

and would not even raise his eyes to heaven

but beat his breast and prayed,

'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;

for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,

and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

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

 

How love humbles us into righteousness

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we see what happens when our primary motivation in whatever we do is not love but self-centeredness. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” Sooner or later, self-exalting people get humbled, whether they realize it or not. They are brought down low by their own behaviors. People who encounter them in daily life do not think very highly of them. And certainly, God doesn’t either.

 

The much better alternative is to let our love for others be what humbles us.

 

Without love as our motivation, we believe in our own so-called “righteousness,” thinking we’re okay when we’re not. But when we do good deeds for others because we genuinely care about them, the pride of our self-righteousness is replaced by holy humility.

 

We are made righteous by our love for others. Self-righteousness is self-made — it motivates us to do good, but only for the selfish purpose of looking admirable, winning God’s approval, or gaining some other personal benefit. Love, which is true righteousness, motivates us to do good for the sake of others.

 

Look at the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. We all behave like that from time to time. Think of someone who is inferior to you because you are holier, who doesn’t go to church as often as you do, or who doesn’t pray like you do. Think of someone who is not worthy of your time and caregiving. Think of someone who is too difficult to love.

 

The cure for this self-righteousness is to get in touch with God’s concern for them. Once we unite our hearts to God’s love for them, we begin to care about them, too. And the most powerful, most successful way to accomplish such union with God is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which absolves us of self-righteousness and empowers us with divine grace to absorb Christ’s own righteousness.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Lord, give me the grace to recognize my constraints, my faults, and my need of You. Thank You for the wonders You always do in my life. 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!”