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Message of the Day
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It is not of God’s severity that He requires much from us; it is of His great kindness that He will have the soul to open herself wider, to be able to receive much, that He may bestow much upon her. Let no one think that it is hard to attain thereunto. Although it sound hard, and is hard at first, as touching the forsaking and dying to all things, yet, when one has reached this state, no life can be
easier, or sweeter, or fuller of pleasures; for God is right diligent to be with us at all seasons, and to teach us, that He may bring us to Himself, when we are like to go astray. None of us ever desired anything more ardently than God desires to bring us to the knowledge of Himself.
- Johannes Tauler (God knows how
to "grow us" more than we know ourselves. Give God permission to do so this day.)
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Readings of the Day
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Ezr 9:5-9; Tobit 13:2, 3-4a,
4befghn, 7-8 Lk 9:1-6 Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to
proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second
tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony
against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases
everywhere. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“All depends on faith” (Rm 4:16). We bear abundant fruit in working for the Lord, not because of our abilities, funding, or technology but by faith in Jesus Christ. Thus did Jesus send forth His apostles with nothing to rely on but
faith.
Walking by faith is a challenge. We tend to grab on to any crutch we can find while Jesus takes away anything we may use for a crutch. He wants us to stand by faith and depend on Him alone (see 2 Cor 5:7). Are you seeing God’s power in your life? Are you living the Acts of the Apostles? If there’s something crippling your Christian life, possibly you have weakened your faith by not exercising it, but rather leaning on a crutch. Can you see
anything you can get rid of which will force you to be totally dependent on the Lord? (see Mk 10:21) In weakness, God’s power reaches perfection (2 Cor 12:9). In what ways can you stop doing it yourself and start believing in the Lord? You must do less, have less, and own less for God to do more, give more, and free you more. Prayer: Father, put me in a situation where I have nowhere to turn but to You. Promise: “Now, but a short time ago,
mercy came to us from the Lord, our God, Who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in His holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude.” —Ezr 9:8 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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-Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part Two, Encountering the Risen Christ Chapter 5: Sacramental
Encounters - Selected quotes . . . God meets us where we are, as we are, and communicates sacred presence to us through our ordinary human faculties. This sacramental aspect of Christianity is partly what we mean when we use the term, “kataphatic spirituality,” or the “affirmative
way.” Sometimes contrasted with “apophatic spirituality,” or the “negative way,” kataphatic spirituality acknowledges that God’s presence can be mediated to us through word, symbol, person—any created thing. When I cover the fourth mode of presence—the cosmic—we will go more into encountering Christ in creation. For now, however, I would like to keep the focus on sacramental encounters with Christ in the context of Christian community.
In
keeping with the understanding of the sacramental/kataphatic dimension of the Christian life, a wide range of devotional practices have developed through the ages. These would include the more formal Sacraments, which we will discuss in our next chapter, and sacramentals.
Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many
things helpful to humans . . . they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water. . . . Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood (of all believers); every baptized person is called to be a “blessing” and to bless.
(CCC #1668-69)
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