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What I want to bring out is how a pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. And each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that.
- Dorothy Day
(What ripples will you make
today?) |
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Gn 21:5, 8-20a; Ps 34:7-8, 10-11,
12-13
Mt 8:28-34
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could
travel by that road.
They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And he said to them, "Go then!"
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their
district.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
“As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a great nation of him
also, since he too is your offspring.” —Genesis 21:13
After wandering around in the desert until she ran out of water, Hagar put her child, Ishmael, under a bush and walked a short distance away so she wouldn’t see him die (Gn 21:14-16). When the child began to cry, God sent a messenger to rescue the child and his mother by providing water for them (Gn 21:17-19). The Lord did this because Ishmael was
Abraham’s child (Gn 21:13).
Abraham was the father of the chosen people. Like Ishmael, all Abraham’s children are heirs of God’s promises to the chosen people. That’s why the first words of the New Testament establish Jesus as a child of Abraham (Mt 1:1). We also have become spiritual children of Abraham by faith in Jesus (Rm 4:16) and by Baptism. Therefore, we inherit God’s
promises. Prayer: Father, may I lead someone this week to Jesus and Baptism. Promise: “Come, children, hear me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” —Ps 34:12 Presentation Ministries
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-Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part One, Chapter 6: Meaning in Life and History - Selected
quotes Christianity holds that human society is moving toward the fulfillment of what has already begun in Christ: the elevation of human nature to a more intense involvement in the life of God. The Christian might not be able to outline the precise shape of the politics and economics of the ultimate, humanizing society, and he or she might not know how or when its emergence
will be fully validated, but the Christian believes nonetheless that Christ leads the way into the future and works with humanity as we grope to shape our world. Marxists and secular humanists recognize no divine influence calling humanity toward any kind of fulfillment; to them, randomness and luck have characterized evolution all along the way, and it is entirely possible that the human venture will be shown up as an evolutionary dead end.
Christianity is not without its own intimations of doomsday, however. There are among biblical perspectives today two very different viewpoints about how the reign of God will become established on earth. One viewpoint (pre-millennialism) has it that God will have to intervene in a dramatic way, perhaps before we completely blow ourselves asunder. There will follow a judgment, whereafter the self-indulgent will be banished from
the earth, allowing for the beginning of an age of unprecedented peace and prosperity. This perspective is most enthusiastically endorsed by various fundamentalist evangelicals, many of whom claim to know the precise pattern of events that will occur. The other viewpoint (post-millennialism) emphasizes a gradual transformation of societies, but not without catastrophes. Through wars and earthquakes and famines and plagues we shall persevere as Christ spins his web of love among
us, finally establishing his spiritual headship among us through the influence of loving people.
No matter what one believes about the end times, Christians are called to act here and now to make the reign of God a living reality. The future is God’s, and we shall all die anyway. Better to work hard for the sake of love and let God worry about the Second Coming, if there is to be one during
our lifetime. Paperback and eBook versions
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