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Message of the Day
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“The saints are the great experimental Christians, who, because of their unreserved self-dedication have made the great discoveries about God; and as we read their lives and works they will impart to us just so much of these discoveries as we are able to bear. . . Their books are the work of specialists from whom we can humbly learn more of God and our own souls.”
- Evelyn Underhill, Concerning the Inner Life -
(Which saints have inspired you? How are you called to be more saintly?)
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Readings of the Day
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1 Kgs 18:20-39; Ps 16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab and 8, 11
Mt 5:17-19
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a
letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these
commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of
heaven."
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid on you. The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly Spirit.” —2 Timothy
1:6-7 “Elijah appealed to all the people and said, ‘How long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow Him; if Baal, follow him.’ ” —1 Kings 18:21
The chosen people of Elijah’s time straddled the issue of total commitment to the Lord. By calling down fire from heaven (see 1 Kgs 18:24ff), Elijah tried to move the people from lukewarmness to a zealous, total commitment to
the Lord. Unfortunately, although Elijah was successful in bringing down fire from heaven, he was unsuccessful in putting fire into the hearts of God’s people.
The Lord is sick of and nauseated by lukewarmness (see Rv 3:16). In total love, He died on the cross for each of us. He rightly expects us to accept the grace to love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength, and all our minds (Lk 10:27). He commands us “to stir into flame”
the fire of the Holy Spirit within us (2 Tm 1:6), Whom we received in Baptism and Confirmation. “Our God is a consuming Fire” (Heb 12:29), and He lives within us (Jn 17:23; cf 1 Cor 6:19). So let the fire of His presence, power, and love burn in us forever (see Lk 12:49). Let the fire of Pentecost blaze in us and from us to “renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30).
Prayer: Father, set our hearts on fire as Jesus interprets for us the
Scriptures (Lk 24:32).
Promise: “Of this much I assure you: until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter of the law, not the smallest part of a letter, shall be done away with until it all comes true.” —Mt 5:18
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 Three, Gift of the Spirit Chapter 5: Charismatic (Ministry)
Gifts - Selected quotes
As the CSI notes, “charisms are supernaturally empowered. They are focused outward and enable Christians to bear results for the Kingdom of God above and beyond our normal human abilities.” One might, for example, have natural gifts of listening and
empathy, but these are not the same as the charismatic gift of encouragement, which “empowers a Christian to be an effective channel of God’s love-nurturing others through his or her presence and the words of comfort, encouragement and counsel.” Often, of course, there is a correspondence between natural aptitudes and charismatic gifts, but that doesn’t mean that one is simply an outgrowth of the other.
You might have noticed that CSI’s inclusion of encouragement as a gift differs from the Pauline inventory shared above. The reason for this is because: a.) they (and other scholars) maintain that Paul’s list was not intended to be a comprehensive summary, and b.) it’s obvious that there are many other ways in which the Spirit blesses individuals to serve the Church. You might say that almost any kind of service to the Church could be
charisms expressing in some manner. Hence, the CSI has included in its inventory additional charisms such as celibacy, giving, helps, hospitality, intercessory prayer, mercy, music, pastoring, service, wisdom and writing. Others may be added in the future, according to Fr. Sweeny and Ms. Waddell.
Paperback and eBook versions
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