GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY - Wednesday - October 05, 2022

 

Wednesday - October 05, 2022

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”

--Saint Maximilian Kolbe

October 5, 2022

 

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 463

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Gal 2:1-2, 7-14

 

Brothers and sisters:

After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,

taking Titus along also.

I went up in accord with a revelation,

and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–

but privately to those of repute–

so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.

On the contrary,

when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,

just as Peter to the circumcised,

for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised

worked also in me for the Gentiles,

and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,

James and Cephas and John,

who were reputed to be pillars,

gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,

that we should go to the Gentiles

and they to the circumcised.

Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,

which is the very thing I was eager to do.

 

And when Cephas came to Antioch,

I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.

For, until some people came from James,

he used to eat with the Gentiles;

but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,

because he was afraid of the circumcised.

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,

with the result that even Barnabas

was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not on the right road

in line with the truth of the Gospel,

I said to Cephas in front of all,

"If you, though a Jew,

are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,

how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 117:1bc, 2

 

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

 

Praise the LORD, all you nations,

glorify him, all you peoples!

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

 

For steadfast is his kindness toward us,

and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

 

Alleluia                                                              Rom 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons

through which we cry: Abba! Father!

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                     Lk 11:1-4

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

 

Father, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test."

 

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

 

Growing as the Body of Christ

In today’s first reading, we get an inside view of the tension in the early Church that helped it mature. We see that Paul respected the authority of Peter (Cephas or Kephas in Greek), James and John, and they acknowledged Paul’s vocation to the Gentiles. But Peter erred in his use of authority and Paul spoke to him about it – respectfully but boldly in front of everyone who might have been led astray by his error, so that all would hear the truth and grow from it. Peter humbly recognized the truth of Paul’s criticism and was willing to change.

 

Today, this should still be an example — a procedural guideline — for all of us in the Church.

 

Peter’s sin had been hypocrisy caused by worrying about human disapproval. When he had visited the Gentile Christians, he had eaten their food (God had prepared him for this in a vision that told him it was okay to eat non-Kosher food; see Acts 10:9ff). But to avoid the disapproval of Jews, Peter caused confusion among the Gentiles by acting as if it was still wrong to eat their food. Making matters worse, his hypocrisy spread to others because of the example he set, especially since he was the leader (the first pope) of the Church.

 

He should have stopped worrying about his image and let his behavior teach by example that it is right to trust and cooperate with God’s plan even when if it meets with disapproval.

 

God was in the process of maturing the early Church. Peter’s hypocrisy worked against this. Paul had both the humility to recognize that God was instituting a change and the courage to speak up for it.

 

How do we handle Church leaders who work against God’s plans? Do we have both the passion and the compassion that Paul had to courageously call attention to the problem, with the same level of respect for their authority? True respect is based on love, not fear, and an understanding that God is calling us to work together in accomplishing the work of his kingdom.

 

If we see a Church leader sinning and we do nothing to stop it, we are hypocrites and we contribute to the scandal. Do we respect the sinner enough to speak to him or her about it? And if that doesn’t work, do we have enough respect for the rest of the Body of Christ to take the matter to higher authorities?

 

Peter’s hypocrisy came from fear; he overcame it through his respect for Paul. Do we have the humility of Peter to listen to and obey what the Lord is telling us through others?

 

The Church is still maturing. Until we’re perfectly imitating Christ, we will continue to need more growth. Purification is not fun, and no one likes to deal with the consequences of speaking up about the need for purification, but we are each responsible for doing everything we can, in mutual respect and love for one another, with bold passion, to strengthen the Church’s holiness.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, help me to surrender completely to my Father all the areas of my life. May Your Holy Spirit dwell in me as You desire. 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!”