Daily Reflection for October 25, 2014 October 25, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------- Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time HAPPY SILVER ANNIVERSARY CFL THAILAND (CFC-FFL THAILAND)!!! The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord; and Thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest Thy hand, and fillest every living creature with blessing. -- Psalm cxliv. 15,16 A SAINT A DAY ------------------------------ ST. GAUDENTIUS Bishop Information: Feast Day: October 25 Born: Brescia, Italy Died: 410 Bishop of Brescia from about 387 until about 410; he was the successor of the writer on heresies, St. Philastrius. At the time of that saints death Gaudentius was making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The people of Brescia bound themselves by an oath that they would accept no other bishop than Gaudentius; and St. Ambrose and other neighbouring prelates, in consequence, obliged him to return, though against his will. The Eastern bishops also threatened to refuse him Communion if he did not obey. We possess the discourse which he made before St. Ambrose and other bishops on the occasion of his consecration, in which he excuses, on the plea of obedience, his youth and his presumption in speaking. He had brought back with him from the East many precious relics of St. John Baptist and of the Apostles, and especially of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, relics of whom he had received at Caesarea in Cappadocia from nieces of St. Basil. These and other relics from Milan and elsewhere he deposited in a basilica which he named Concilium Sanctorum. His sermon on its dedication is extant. From a letter of St. Chrysostom (Ep. clxxxiv) to Gaudentius it may be gathered that the two saints had met at Antioch. When St. Chrysostom had been condemned to exile and had appealed to Pope Innocent and the West in 405, Gaudentius warmly took his part. An embassy to the Eastern Emperor Arcadius from his brother Honorius and from the pope, bearing letters from both and from Italian bishops, consisted of Gaudentius and two other bishops. The envoys were seized at Athens and sent to Constantinople, being three days on a ship without food. They were not admitted into the city, but were shut up in a fortress called Athyra, on the coast of Thrace. Their credentials were seized by force, so that the thumb of one of the bishops was broken, and they were offered a large sum of money if they would communicate with Atticus, who had supplanted St. Chrysostom. They were consoled by God, and St. Paul appeared to a deacon amongst them. They were eventually put on board an unseaworthy vessel, and it was said that the captain had orders to wreck them. However, they arrived safe at Lampsacus, where they took ship for Italy, and arrived in twenty days at Otranto. Their own account of their four months adventures has been preserved to us by Palladius (Dialogus, 4). St. Chrysostom wrote them several grateful letters. We possess twenty-one genuine tractates by Gaudentius. The first ten are a series of Easter sermons, written down after delivery at the request of Benivolus, the chief of the Brescian nobility, who had been prevented by ill health from hearing them delivered. In the preface Gaudentius takes occasion to disown all unauthorized copies of his sermons published by shorthand writers. These pirated editions seem to have been known to Rufinus, who, in the dedication to St. Gaudentius of his translation of the pseudo-Clementine Recognitions, praises the intellectual gifts of thne Bishop of Brescia, saying that even his extempore speaking is worthy of publication and of preservation by posterity. The style of Gaudentius is simple, and his matter is good. His body lies at Brescia in the Church of St. John Baptist, on the site of the Concilium Sanctorum. His figure is frequently seen in the altar-pieces of the great Brescian painters, Moretto, Savoldo, and Romanino. The best edition of his works is by Galeardi (Padua, 1720, and in P.L., XX). (Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia) FAVOURITE QUOTES FOR DADS ------------------------------ Joy and meaning are often found in the simple things of life. -- Hope Clarke FAVOURITE QUOTES FOR MOMS ------------------------------ A daughter reminds you of all the things you had forgotten about being young. Good and bad. -- Maeve OReilly 1ST READING (Ephesians 4:7-16) ------------------------------ No two people have exactly the same gifts. This is an important truth to remember particularly if we are prone to jealousy or envy, and also if we tend to compare ourselves with others in an unhealthy way. God gifts each of us as He sees fit and in a way that is best for us. Can we accept that He knows what’s best for our lives? A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians 7 Brothers and sisters: Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore, it says: “He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.” 9 What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the extent of the full stature of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. 15 Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love. Reader: The Word of the Lord. Response: Thanks be to God. RESPONSORIAL PSALM ------------------------------ Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 R: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. 1 I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the Lord.” 2 And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem. R: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. 3 Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. 4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. R: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. 5 In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. R: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION ------------------------------ I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion that he may live. GOSPEL (Luke 13:1-9) ------------------------------ Let us not spend our time finding fault in others or judging that their sinfulness has brought disaster upon them. It is easy to look at the faults of others and it may be easy to find our own as well. However, admitting and accepting our faults can be a whole different reality. True repentance is impossible without humbly accepting the fact that we are sinners and in need of God’s grace. P - The Lord be with you. All - And also with you. P - A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. All - Glory to you, Lord. 1 Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. 2 He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? 3 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! 4 Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? 5 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” 6 And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, 7 he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ 8 He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 9 it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” Priest: This is the gospel of the Lord. Response: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. -------------------------------------------------------- Lectionary for Mass, Copyright ¬© 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain ¬®¬© 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. -------------------------------------------------------- REFLECTION ------------------------------ Saturday (October 25): Unless you repent Meditation: What can a calamity, such as a political blood-bath or a natural disaster, teach us about Gods kingdom and the consequences of bad choices and sinful actions? Jesus used two such occasions to address the issue of sin and judgment with his Jewish audience. Pilate, who was the Roman governor of Jerusalem at the time, ordered his troops to slaughter a group of Galileans who had come up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice in the Temple. We do not know what these Galileans did to incite Pilates wrath, nor why Pilate chose to attack them in the holiest of places for the Jews, in their temple at Jerusalem. For the Jews, this was political barbarity and sacrilege at its worst! The second incident which Jesus addressed was a natural disaster, a tower in Jerusalem which unexpectedly collapsed, killing 18 people. The Jews often associated such calamities and disasters as a consequence of sin. Scripture does warn that sin can result in calamity! Though the righteous fall seven times, and rise again; the wicked are overthrown by calamity (Proverbs 24:16). The real danger and calamity which Jesus points out is that an unexpected disaster or a sudden death does not give us time to repent of our sins and to prepare ourselves to meet the Judge of heaven and earth. The Book of Job reminds us that misfortune and calamity can befall both the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Jesus gives a clear warning - take responsibility for your actions and moral choices and put sin to death today before it can destroy your heart, mind, soul, and body as well. Unrepentant sin is like a cancer which corrupts us from within. If it is not eliminated through repentance - asking God for forgiveness and for his healing grace, it leads to a spiritual death which is far worse than physical destruction. Jesus parable of the barren fig trees illustrated his warning about the consequences of allowing sin and corruption to take root in our hearts and minds. Fig trees were a common and important source of food for the people of Palestine. A fig tree normally matured within three years, producing plentiful fruit. If it failed, it was cut down to make room for more healthy trees. A decaying fig tree and its bad fruit came to symbolize for the Jews the consequence of spiritual corruption caused by evil deeds and unrepentant sin. The unfruitful fig tree symbolized the outcome of Israels unresponsiveness to the word of God. The prophets depicted the desolation and calamity of Israel, due to her unfaithfulness to God, as a languishing fig tree (see Joel 1:7,12; Habbakuk 3:17; and Jeremiah 8:13). Jeremiah likened good and evil rulers and members of Israel with figs that were good for eating and figs that were rotten and useless (Jeremiah 24:2-8). Jesus parable depicts the patience of God, but it also contains a warning that we should not presume upon patience and mercy. Gods judgment will come - sooner or later - in due course. Why does God judge his people? He judges to purify and cleanse us of all sin that we might grow in his holiness and righteousness. And he disciplines us for our own good, to inspire a godly fear and reverence for him and his word. God is patient, but for those who persistently and stubbornly rebel against him and refuse to repent, there is the consequence that they will lose their soul to hell. Are Gods judgments unjust or unloving? When Gods judgments are revealed in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). To pronounce Gods judgment on sin is much less harsh than what will happen if those who sin are not warned to repent. God, in his mercy, gives us time to get right with him, but that time is now. We must not assume that there is no hurry. A sudden and unexpected death leaves one no time to prepare to settle ones accounts when he or she must stand before the Lord on the day of judgment. Jesus warns us that we must be ready at all times. Tolerating sinful habits and excusing unrepentant sin will result in bad fruit and eventual destruction. The Lord in his mercy gives us both grace and time to turn away from sin, but that time is right now. If we delay, even for a day, we may discover that grace has passed us by and our time is up. Do you hunger for the Lords righteousness and holiness? PRAYER ------------------------------ Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you that I may grow in righteousness and holiness. May I not squander the grace of the present moment to say yes to you and to your will and plan for my life. -------------------------------------------------------- Lectionary for Mass is from the USCCB website located at: usccb.org/bible/readings/ -------------------------------------------------------- This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager, whose website is located at: rc.net/wcc/readings/ -------------------------------------------------------- You can also visit mobilegabriel/ for the complete readings and reflections for the whole month. -------------------------------------------------------- A Saint A Day courtesy of EWTN Global Catholic Network at: ewtn/saintsHoly/ -------------------------------------------------------- Inspirational message courtesy of EWTN Global Catholic Network at: ewtn/Devotionals/ Daily Readings Daily Readings USCCB.ORG
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 13:15:44 +0000
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