Tuesday - November 08, 2022
For God says: Pray wholeheartedly. . . though you may feel nothing, though you may see nothing . . . for in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in weakness, then is your prayer most pleasing to Me.
~~St. Julian of Norwich
TODAY'S READINGS
Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 492
Reading I
Beloved:
You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine,
namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified,
self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance.
Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior,
not slanderers, not addicted to drink,
teaching what is good, so that they may train younger women
to love their husbands and children,
to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers,
under the control of their husbands,
so that the word of God may not be discredited.
Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves,
showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect,
with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech
that cannot be criticized,
so that the opponent will be put to shame
without anything bad to say about us.
For the grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of the great God
and of our savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
and he approves his way.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
The just shall possess the land
and dwell in it forever.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Alleluia Jn 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia
Gospel
Jesus said to the Apostles:
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
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ARE YOU A MENTOR?
In
today’s first reading, Saint Paul describes holiness as the sharing of our
strengths and giftedness with others. Those with more experience should serve
as examples of holiness. It’s the ministry of evangelizing by mentoring.
Whom do you mentor? Parents mentor their children, teachers mentor their students, but who else could learn from us? Who could learn from your accumulated knowledge and experiences and wisdom? Who is newer at being a Christian and could benefit from the insights that you gained during your own struggles?
Mentoring involves noticing which people God has placed in our path on the journey to heaven, then choosing to walk beside them. Sometimes they’re crippled and need us to push their wheelchairs down the road until they can walk. Sometimes they’re limping along and need us for a crutch until their legs get stronger. Sometimes they just need us to hold their hand as they make their way through a scary or confusing forest.
You have much that the Holy Spirit wants to offer them through your help, taken from your own healing, growth and learning processes. God has placed people around you who need what you can give. If you don’t mentor them, they suffer from the absence of what you could provide. The consequences of this could be dreadfully long-lasting. We’ll have to explain to Jesus why we refused to help when he comes to take us home to heaven.
As members of the family of God, we all have community responsibilities. There are countless opportunities within the parish. You could become a sponsor for a candidate in RCIA or a catechist for teenagers who haven’t yet taken personal ownership of their faith. Married couples can join a Marriage Preparation team and stay in contact with the engaged couples even after their wedding days. Divorced people and widows who’ve followed Christ into healing can mentor those who are currently experiencing loss.
If you belong to a faith sharing or prayer group, you can invite others to join and then continue the relationship outside the meetings. Retired business people can make their expertise available to parishioners who are starting new businesses, mentoring them in how to make Jesus their CEO. And there are people in the neighborhood, workplace, sports leagues, and so on, who could benefit from your unique perspective of living the faith there, too.
Jesus warns us in today’s Gospel reading that if we do nothing more than our duty — fulfilling our minimum Christian obligations so that we get to heaven — we are “useless servants.” Wow. Let’s become truly useful to our Lord! Let’s not just go to Mass to fulfill our Sunday obligation; let’s uplift the person who sits next to us. Let’s read the bulletin and find out how we could bless our parishes with our faith and talents and knowledge and experiences.
Today's Prayer
Thank You, Lord Jesus, because you called me to work testifying to Your Word. This is my peace, my joy and my rest. Praised be You Lord! Amen.
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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