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Message of the Day
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Christian perfection consists in three things: praying heroically, working heroically, and suffering heroically.
- St. Anthony Mary Claret -
(How have these three movements contributed to your growth? How are
you experiencing them at this time?)
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Readings of the Day
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Rom 6:12-18; Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6,
7-8 -Lk 12:39-48 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
Then Peter said,
"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
And the Lord replied,
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
'My master is delayed in coming,'
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with
more."
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Thanks be to God, though once you were slaves of sin, you sincerely obeyed that rule of teaching which was imparted to you; freed from your sin, you became slaves of
justice.” —Romans 6:17-18
The Lord reveals that every human being is by nature a slave. We may think we’re doing our own thing, but we’re really doing someone else’s. We don’t have a choice about being slaves, but we can choose whose slaves we will be. We can choose “the slavery of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to justice” (Rm 6:16). If we refuse to choose, the devil will
draft us into serving him, and, if we have not chosen Jesus, we are powerless to stop Satan (see Jn 15:5). If we choose to be Jesus’ slave (see Col 3:24), we will be exalted (see Mt 23:12). We will possess the most profound dignity a human being can have. At some point, Jesus will no longer call us slaves but friends, since He will have made known to us all that He heard from His Father (Jn
15:15). The way to friendship with Jesus is through slavery to Him, for Jesus “emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). Therefore, realize that doing your own thing is a deception. Refuse to be Satan’s slave. Joyfully choose to be Jesus’ slave and, eventually, His friend. Prayer: Father, may I not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of my mind (Rm 12:2). Promise: “The slave who knew his master’s wishes but did not prepare to fulfill them will get a severe beating, whereas the one who did not know them and who nonetheless deserved to be flogged will get off with fewer stripes. When much has been given a
man, much will be required of him. More will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted.” —Lk 12:47-48 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 7: The Cosmic Christ, part
I - Selected quotes Maybe you know someone who says they find God in nature, or out in the “real world” (as opposed to Church)? Maybe you are such a person yourself?
I can certainly
relate.
Even during those times earlier in my life when I didn’t much appreciate the role of religion in conveying a sense of God’s presence, I still felt close to God in nature. I enjoyed hunting, fishing, bird-watching, boating, camping out, gardening, and lots of other outdoor activities. Fresh air and sunshine can help anyone feel better, but there was more to it than that.
There was a sense of Presence there, and a freshness that I didn’t find anywhere else; that is still the case at times. Hours of silence and solitude in a duck blind or on a deer stand put me in touch with deep inner longings, and helped me become open to the beauty manifesting in nature around me. I often found myself moved to prayer—even just simple statements like “thank you,” or simple prayers of petitions out of my longing. At that time in my life I didn’t recognize the
Christic aspect of this experience; now I understand it a little better, and I will share some of my understanding in this chapter.
I think there are two different ways to speak of encountering Christ in his cosmic aspect: one is to have a sense of Christ manifesting through creation; the other is a sense of creation-in-Christ. The first is to view creation as sacramental—another symbolic
mode through which something of Christ can be communicated, and that will be the primary concern of this chapter. I’ll say more about seeing creation-in-Christ in our next one.
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