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You will not see anyone who is really striving after spiritual advancement who is not given to spiritual reading, and to those who neglect this, the fact will soon be observed in their lack of progress.
- St. Athanasius
(How does spiritual reading influence your growth? What book(s) is feeding your soul these days?)
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Jer 18:18-20; Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
Jn 8:12
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Gospel
Mt 20:17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Must good be repaid with evil?” —Jeremiah 18:20
Jeremiah sacrificed and suffered to be a prophet and turn away God’s wrath (Jer 18:20) from “the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem” (Jer 18:11). Although Jeremiah saved many people’s lives, they did not realize this. They hated Jeremiah and plotted to kill him. They reasoned that Jeremiah’s death would not be a loss (Jer 18:18) but their gain. The good Jeremiah had done was “repaid with evil” (Jer
18:20).
We all want to be appreciated. So we are disappointed when we are not thanked. Even more so, when those who have benefited from our good acts repay us by doing evil against us, we are often crushed. At this point we feel like quitting, and we definitely will quit if we are serving the Lord for any other reason than for the Lord alone.
Are you serving the Lord only for the Lord? If not, you will burn out. Love for the Lord is the only motivation which lasts. Thank the Lord when you get nothing out of serving Him but Him. This is our opportunity to love unconditionally as He loves us. This is our opportunity to be crucified with Jesus (Gal 2:19).
Prayer: Father, I accept Your grace to forgive those who have hurt me unjustly.
Promise: “The Son of Man...has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give His own life as a ransom for the many.” —Mt 20:28
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
32. Witness Christ Through Ministry
Any one who gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ will not, I assure you, go without reward (Mark 9:41).
The editor of a diocesan newspaper recently reviewed three levels of ministry: voluntary/part-time, such as religion teachers who teach kids after school, or men or women lectors at Mass; professional/part-time, such as youth ministers in a parish set-up; professional/full-time, such as priests, nuns, and lay people who work on a church or school staff for a living. But it seems that this view is too narrow
since it defines ministry only in terms of church work.
Every time we use our talents to love another or to help build a better world, we are ministering. Here are a few common examples: changing a baby’s diaper, fixing a meal for one’s family, teaching a class, playing with one’s kids, checking out groceries cordially, doing one’s business honestly, and so forth. It is as important to God that these everyday tasks be done well as it is that his priests give good homilies on Sunday.
The Fathers of Vatican II wrote, “They [the laity] are consecrated into a royal priesthood and a holy people (see 1 Peter 2:4-10) in order that they may offer spiritual sacrifices thro~gh everything they do, and may witness to Christ throughout world.. . . On all Christians therefore is laid the splendid burden of working to make the divine message of salvation known and accepted by all men throughout the world” (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, #3).
We are ministers for Christ Jesus. Everything we do through each day can make his presence more fully known to a world starving for his love. No matter where we go, we stand for ChriSt. Where we are, there is the Church.
Suggested Practices
- Hold your head up high and claim your ministerial identity.
- As you go through your day meeting various needs, stop and remind yourself: “I am a minister for Jesus Christ.” Ask yourself: “How am I doing?”
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