Friday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Ephesians 4:1-6 | Psalm 23:1-6 | Luke 12:54-59
I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. (Ephesians 4:1)
I stumbled across a writeup on the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne website titled “What is a Vocation?” It’s short enough that I recommend you read it in its entirety, but in short, a vocation answers the question “What does God want me to be?”
All vocations (single life, married life, consecrated life, ordained ministry) share a common objective: to love God. They also share a common call to follow the Way that Christ taught us, and that He Himself followed unto the cross:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
Love your neighbour as yourself. (Matthew 22:37,39)
After much pondering, I think that, despite others’ suggestions, my vocation at this point in life shall remain in married life. It’s not for lack of desire to give myself to God in a more committed fashion, but a realisation that I still fall quite short in my current vocation of married life. There’s a lot more love that I can share with my wife, and until I can open myself up to that, there’s really no reason to add another layer of consecration to Christ.
Brothers and sisters, why not review your commitment and progress in your chosen vocation today, and see what improvements can be made?
Thursday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Ephesians 3:14-21 | Psalm 32:1-2,4-5,11-12,18-19 | Luke 12:49-53
Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
There are days, like yesterday, when I think I over-analyse the word of God. This isn’t one of those days.
St. Paul has composed a prayer that I couldn’t hope to surpass, yet neatly summarises our yearning as Christians:
that we will be filled with the fire and the strength of the Holy Spirit,
that Christ will come to stretch our hearts beyond measure with God’s love,
that we will thus experience the fullness of God, which transcends all reasoning.
There’s nothing left to say, but “Amen!”
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While on the subject of prayer, I’ll be starting a simple prayer notebook, inspired by Fr. Paul Goh’s homily last Sunday. It’s so simple yet meaningful, that I’d encourage all of you to do the same. Just take a blank notebook, draw four columns, then fill them in as follows:
When I began this prayer to God
What/who this prayer is for
When this prayer was answered
How this prayer was answered
I think it’s an excellent way to become more aware of what I’m praying for, a constant reminder to look beyond my requests to see how He gives me what I need instead, and an anchor in difficult times to shore up my confidence in His constant presence and love.
Wednesday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time (Year II) Saints John of Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and their Companions, Martyrs Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest
Ephesians 3:2-12 | Isaiah 12 | Luke 12:39-48
The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash.
The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes.
When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him;
when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him. (Luke 12:47-48)
Jesus references the relationship between master and servant quite a few times in parables, alluding to our own status as servants of God. Conversely, St. Paul writes in today’s reading about the knowledge he was given about the central mystery of our faith, God’s plan for our salvation:
his free gift to us in the Beloved, in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. (Ephesians 1:6-7)
Wait, as unbelievers are wont to poke with maximum sarcasm, you Christians are supposed to obey God’s law, so you’re really mindless sheep! What’s all this nonsense about “freedom”?
My dinner last night with a couple of friends and their granddaughter may shed some light on this matter.
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Meet Hillary, a 13-month-old girl with a penchant for water sports and, to hear her grandparents describe her, the determination of her namesake U.S. presidential candidate. As it happened, we were dining near a fountain, to which Hillary expressed great curiosity.
So her grandfather took a few quick bites of his meal, then walked her over to the fountain, so she could reach out and splash water all over her hands and arms, and a good bit on herself too.
After a few minutes, her grandfather tried to lead her back to the dinner table. She disagreed, and began to loudly voice her dissatisfaction with her ye ye‘s tyranny.
And then she sneezed.
And sneezed again.
And a third time.
And she finally simmered down, and let her grandmother lead her to the washroom, to have her nose cleared of snot and her damp clothes changed.
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Like Hillary, we have all been blessed with free will by God. We can, at any moment, choose to:
get drunk out of our skulls,
drive in said state of drunkenness, and
fornicate with abandon.
We’re also free to suffer the consequences of our actions, but think for a moment how your unbelieving friends would react. Perhaps:
“I lost my job, so of course I got drunk. Anyone would get drunk when they lose their job!”
“That pedestrian wasn’t watching where she was going, so it was her fault she collided with my car.”
“You seduced me, and you didn’t use protection, so your baby and my syphilis are both your fault. Press me further, and I’ll have you arrested for prostitution.”
And here’s how Christians worthy of the name would react:
“That was my fault. My hangover is payment for my overindulgence.”
“That was my fault. Her death will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“That was my fault. Let’s work something out, for the sake of our baby.”
Isn’t it ironic that supposed “champions of free will” also claim that any unsavory actions leading to unpleasant consequences were foisted upon them by external forces, that they had “no free will” in those matters? It’s not for nothing that we Christians call this “the slavery of sin”.
Make no mistake, all of us are free to act as we please. We Christians, however, enjoy the “unfair advantage” of having our eyes opened to the grace that comes with love of God and neighbor, the love of the One who died to free us all. With such grace comes knowledge of what is right and just, and willful deeds in accordance with this knowledge isn’t the slavery of having our actions constrained…
…but the true freedom of a clear conscience, of not constantly looking over our shoulders, cowering in fear of the twin axes of human judgement and divine justice.
Amen.
P.S. I like to attach YouTube videos of songs that connect in some way with the theme of each blog post. Unfortunately, I can’t find an accessible video for today’s song, Come to Set Us Free(Bernadette Farrell), but you can click on this link and play a sample from that product page. I’ll also leave you with the lyrics to the chorus and verse 1, that I think best support today’s post:
Come to set us free, come to make us your own. Come to show the way to your people, your chosen. Open our lives to the light of your promise. Come to our hearts with healing, come to our minds with power, come to us and bring us your life.
You are light which shines in darkness,
Morning Star which never sets.
Open our eyes which only dimly see,
The truth which sets us free.
Saint Luke, Evangelist
2 Timothy 4:10-17 | Psalm 144:10-13,17-18 | Luke 10:1-9
The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. (Luke 10:2)
But will they be day labourers, or permanent employees? Will they just do their job for a while and disappear, or be in it for the long haul?
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You’ve probably received the “chain mail” depicted at right by the time you read this blog entry. In case you haven’t, it simply claims that all Catholics worldwide have been called to drop whatever they’re doing and pray the rosary at 9am, on 18th October 2016, giving less than 24 hours’ notice in some cases.
There’s much that’s “off” about this message, starting with the fact that “9am” happens at different times around the planet, so this wouldn’t result in all Catholics praying at the same instance, as you might have assumed. Also, there are many people at work during their local “9am” who should obviously not be distracted from their daily tasks – heavy vehicle drivers and surgeons are just the folks that spring to mind.
The most generous conclusion I can draw: this is a grassroots attempt to encourage praying of the rosary, and that something of the underlying intent was lost in translation. For instance, the creator’s intent may have been to “guilt-trip” those who haven’t prayed the rosary in a while to pick theirs up again. Unfortunately, the wording would seem to encourage a Herculean effort to pray the rosary on the morning of 18th October…and then carefully put the beads back into a jewelry box, to be unearthed the next time someone posts a “WORLDWIDE ROSARY TIME!” message.
The cynic in me, however, suspects it may be someone tapping into the wellsprings of Christian piety to make millions of Catholics dance to his/her tune. Perhaps it was the result of an idle bet (“let’s see who can get more reshares”), or something more sinister. Once trust is implicitly established (“see, I’m a pious Catholic just like you all”), how easy it would then be to spread messages containing deliberate doctrinal errors or scandalous lies (“it came from this pious Catholic, so it must be true – Pope Francis to allow female priests! Woohoo! Reshare!”).
This is why I always ponder and fact-check “holy messages” before forwarding, especially if it looks like the Holy of Holies.
That said, I do support the idea of getting as many Catholics as possible to pray the rosary regularly, so I propose a different message, one that doesn’t place undue demands on the individual:
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On Wednesday 19th October 2016, block out a half-hour of your time. Any time will do: immediately after you wake up, just before you sleep, on the train to work, after your lunch, etc. Just find a quiet spot (bed, office pantry, standing in the train with eyes closed to cut out distractions) and pray the rosary. Breathe deeply as you pray, and focus on the words you recite. Don’t rush. Feel the calming presence of God and Mother Mary.
On Thursday 20th October 2016, block out a half-hour of your time (perhaps a different half-hour from Wednesday’s), find a quiet spot and pray the rosary. Breathe deeply as you pray, and focus on the words you recite. Don’t rush. Feel the calming presence of God and Mother Mary.
On Friday 21st October 2016, do as you did Thursday.
On Saturday 22nd October 2016, do as you did Friday.
On Sunday 23rd October 2016, do as you did Saturday. Don’t forget the call of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!
On Monday 24th October 2016, do as you did Sunday.
On Tuesday 25th October 2016, do as you did Monday.
You have now prayed the rosary for an entire week. I bet you didn’t think you could do it. Feels good, right?
If you miss a day or two, don’t beat yourself up. Just remember the peace and joy that you received while praying the rosary, and let that encourage you to continue with the schedule.
Oh, and you don’t have to stop after a week. Keep going, it only gets easier.
You’ve now formed a praying habit, and it’s a lot better than smoking.
If you’ve tried this, and found it worthy to be shared, won’t you please share it? Better yet, how about getting others you know involved as well, at work or in your neighborhood?
God Bless!
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Brothers and sisters, shall we not become full-time prayer “staff” instead of day-rated “temps”? Like all habits, this one happens one day after another, not in a paroxysm of prayerful effort at one particular moment.
Monday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time (Year II) Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Martyr
Ephesians 2:1-10 | Psalm 99:1-5 | Luke 12:13-21
[The title is not a typo.]
We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it. (Ephesians 2:10)
“Living the good life” is something every human being aspires to; it’s what constitutes “the good life” that varies from person to person
…from “cars, properties, a fully-stocked wine cellar, luscious meals served by personal servants”
…to “at least one square meal a day, a loving family, clothes and shoes without holes, not having to worry about the electricity or water being cut off”.
I’m personally in between the two extremes: As many square meals as I need, far too many books to read in my lifetime, the option (at least for now) to travel on yearly pilgrimages, fairly good health…but unable and unwilling to fully retire.
Oh, and enough time to write about my personal relationship with God every night. Sweet.
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As far as I can tell, Jesus has never decried rich men for being rich. Instead, the Gospels point to their unhealthy relationship with their possessions
…from the faithful young man who was nevertheless unable to let go of his riches (Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10:17-27, Luke 18:18-27 – a rare repetition across all the synoptic Gospels, so the message must really be important)
…to the parable of the sower:
As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. (Luke 8:14)
…to the parable of the rich fool and Jesus’ general admonition in today’s Gospel:
Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs. (Luke 12:15)
Jesus’ advice is sound, because avarice divides us from each other, setting me against more-well-to-do you, inciting jealousy and initiating a thousand “rich races”.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose feast we celebrate today, was very much concerned with unity of the church:
Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when you assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith. Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is brought to an end. (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Chapter 13)
And another St. Ignatius pointed the way to a healthier relationship with our “stuff” (emphasis mine):
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
all I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me. (Suscipe, St. Ignatius of Loyola)
Like him, let us surrender control over everything we have to God. Let us consider giving away our excess fully and freely, simultaneously letting go of the mental “shackles” of physical ownership that distract us from seeing God in our fellow human beings. Let us give especially of our precious time and energy, helping the poor and needy in whatever way we can.
For as Jesus reminded us:
I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40)
Lord, help me let go of the things I don’t actually need, for my good and the good of everyone else around me.
You’ve probably received the “chain mail” depicted at right by the time you read this blog entry. In case you haven’t, it simply claims that all Catholics worldwide have been called to drop whatever they’re doing and pray the rosary at 9am, on 18th October 2016, giving less than 24 hours’ notice in some cases.