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Message of the Day
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If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls “mounting up with wings as eagles” to the “heavenly places” in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us.
- Hannah Whitall Smith You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you. Is. 26:3
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Readings of the Day
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Ezra 6:7-8, 12b,
14-20
Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 Luke 8:19-21 The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into
practice.’ USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“His mother and brothers came to be with Him, but they could not reach Him because of the crowd.” —Luke 8:19
How many of us are crowded? Our
lives, minds, and schedules are crowded. We have so many demands pressing in on us. We can hardly breathe. We feel crowded out from Jesus. We can’t seem to reach Him. We feel on the outside looking in (Lk 8:20). What can we do before we’re crushed by the crowd? We can obey Jesus, hear God’s Word, act upon it (Lk 8:21), and give our lives, minds, and schedules to the Lord. Jesus never gives us more than we have time for. He never overextends
us, although sometimes we know this only by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens” (Eccl 3:1). Jesus gives us sufficient strength (Phil 4:13) for what He has called us to do. Jesus promises: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take My yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble
of heart. Your souls will find rest” (Mt 11:28-29). Rather than the crowd keeping us from Jesus, He keeps us from the pressure of the crowd. Prayer: Jesus, may my intimate relationship with You keep me from being crowded. Promise: “The elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building, supported by the message of the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah.” —Ezr
6:14 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Here Now in Love: The Roots of Contemplative Spirituality, by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publications, 2001.
https://amzn.to/4n3bu4j The Four Modes of Christ's Presence to
Us Second Mode: The Church For most people, the Christian community is their most tangible encounter with Jesus, although it is not always
recognized as such at first. They go to a living, vibrant church community and experience a sense of new life. “Those people have something,” they might think to themselves. Or, as the pagans said about the early church: “See how they love one another!” The community shows hospitality, love, concern--even compassion! Eventually, the visitor comes to know the source of these graces, but it is doubtful that s/he will get that far without the support of the
community. After Jesus ascended to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to continue his work on earth through the church. This is not to say that he is not working in other religions as well--only that it seems his express intention was to found a Church that would consciously and intentionally invite the Spirit to form them and do his work. Through this Church, he multiplied his presence. Where once he was one man going about
doing good, now he lives in millions of people, who constitute his Mystical Body. This understanding of Church as Christ’s presence was forcibly drawn to St. Paul’s attention. As he traveled the road to Damascus in search of Christians to arrest and persecute, the glorified Jesus intervened, striking him blind and speaking to him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, sir?” Paul asked.
“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” (Acts 9: 4-5). Earlier during his life, Jesus had taught his disciples, “Where two or three or gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.” (Mt. 18: 20) Now, with his message to Paul, he left no doubt that he was intimately identified with his Church. It is possible to have Christian faith without belonging to a Church, but it doesn’t make much sense to do so. Christ
made it clear that the Church was his Mystical Body--that he wanted us to gather in his name to worship, to celebrate Eucharist, and to bring the good news to the ends of the earth. When we exclude ourselves from the Christian community, we miss this mode of his presence and the formative graces given which enable us to recognize him in other areas of life as well. No Church is perfect, however; Christ continues to suffer in his Mystical Body as we struggle in the Church to bring our
fallen-redeemed humanity into conformity with his will. |
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