Saint John of Capestrano, Priest
Biographical Information about St. John of Capestrano[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21
St. Paul uses this simile of sin and righteousness to describe the affects of Jesus on the world. He recalls that sin entered the world through Adam’s original sin (“as through one person sin entered the world”). Through a number of iterative comparisons he establishes that, through Christ’s entry into the world, sin and death are defeated for those upon whom his grace falls.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Supporting the position taken by St. James that we are justified through faith supported by actions, these strophes emphasize that God does not wish mere acts of religiosity but a conversion of the heart.
Gospel Lk 12:35-38
This selection from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the need for fidelity and faithfulness to Christ’s teachings because the hour and the day of the Lord’s return is not known. The image used to describe this preparedness, “Gird your loins and light your lamps” instructs the faithful to be prepared for a journey from darkness into light.
Reflection:
Have you ever thought of what you would grab if you had to leave your home suddenly? Say there was a natural disaster and you had just a few minutes, what would you take? Wouldn’t you take those things that could not be replaced? You would not grab the stereo or the refrigerator even though those might be the most expensive things you have beyond the house itself. You would probably take the important records, heirlooms, and photographs.
Using that example of a rushed departure, let’s ask ourselves what we would do if we had just a moment to prepare to meet the Lord, face to face. What would we want our “record” to look like, especially that all important “most recent” record. Remember the Lord told the parable of the workers called to the vineyard at various times of the day. They all received full wages for coming to that place. If we were called now, how would we do?
We suspect that there would be those who would do very well and those who would not. The ones who would do very well are those who place their faith in front of themselves, working daily to become better disciples of Christ; praying constantly to the Lord for strength and guidance through the Holy Spirit. These individuals would come before the Lord seeing a gulf between their own efforts and the perfection represented by Jesus. Their loins are girded and their lamps lit. They would do well in that judgment hall.
Then there would be those to whom faith is much less important or even unimportant. They, ironically would not see the gulf between themselves and the Lord because in order to understand how far one must travel to reach him, one must try to understand how wondrous he is and how immense his love for us. When one cannot see the path, how can they know how far it stretches? These would not do well – there is much further they must come before they enter that heavenly kingdom.
Our call today is to be in that former group, ready to go to the Lord at a moment’s notice; striving to grow closer to his ideal even though in doing so the distance seems much further. We pray today for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on that path to holiness. We offer our humble efforts to the Glory of God and we have confident hope in the compassion of our Lord who will know our hearts on the last day.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is St. John Capistrano, Artist and Date UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. John of Capestrano[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21
St. Paul uses this simile of sin and righteousness to describe the affects of Jesus on the world. He recalls that sin entered the world through Adam’s original sin (“as through one person sin entered the world”). Through a number of iterative comparisons he establishes that, through Christ’s entry into the world, sin and death are defeated for those upon whom his grace falls.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Supporting the position taken by St. James that we are justified through faith supported by actions, these strophes emphasize that God does not wish mere acts of religiosity but a conversion of the heart.
Gospel Lk 12:35-38
This selection from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the need for fidelity and faithfulness to Christ’s teachings because the hour and the day of the Lord’s return is not known. The image used to describe this preparedness, “Gird your loins and light your lamps” instructs the faithful to be prepared for a journey from darkness into light.
Reflection:
Have you ever thought of what you would grab if you had to leave your home suddenly? Say there was a natural disaster and you had just a few minutes, what would you take? Wouldn’t you take those things that could not be replaced? You would not grab the stereo or the refrigerator even though those might be the most expensive things you have beyond the house itself. You would probably take the important records, heirlooms, and photographs.
Using that example of a rushed departure, let’s ask ourselves what we would do if we had just a moment to prepare to meet the Lord, face to face. What would we want our “record” to look like, especially that all important “most recent” record. Remember the Lord told the parable of the workers called to the vineyard at various times of the day. They all received full wages for coming to that place. If we were called now, how would we do?
We suspect that there would be those who would do very well and those who would not. The ones who would do very well are those who place their faith in front of themselves, working daily to become better disciples of Christ; praying constantly to the Lord for strength and guidance through the Holy Spirit. These individuals would come before the Lord seeing a gulf between their own efforts and the perfection represented by Jesus. Their loins are girded and their lamps lit. They would do well in that judgment hall.
Then there would be those to whom faith is much less important or even unimportant. They, ironically would not see the gulf between themselves and the Lord because in order to understand how far one must travel to reach him, one must try to understand how wondrous he is and how immense his love for us. When one cannot see the path, how can they know how far it stretches? These would not do well – there is much further they must come before they enter that heavenly kingdom.
Our call today is to be in that former group, ready to go to the Lord at a moment’s notice; striving to grow closer to his ideal even though in doing so the distance seems much further. We pray today for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on that path to holiness. We offer our humble efforts to the Glory of God and we have confident hope in the compassion of our Lord who will know our hearts on the last day.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is St. John Capistrano, Artist and Date UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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