When it seems that God shows us the faults of others, keep on the safer side. It may be that our judgment is false.
- St. Catherine of Siena
(Wise counsel for maintaining peace of mind and better relationships.)
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ROM 8:31B-39; PS 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31
LK 13:31-35
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.'
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
Reflection on the Scriptures |
I experience Jesus as advocating for me in two ways. First, from Paul’s writing, “He is seated at the right hand of God who indeed intercedes for us,” and secondly, through Gospel examples of Jesus living for God. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus repeatedly shows a preferential concern for the marginalized (women, the poor, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted) and
anyone that recognizes their dependence on God. He is also compassionate and caring while he keeps his focus on serving God. An example of this is His refusal to listen to the Pharisees’ suggestion to flee from Herod but instead stands firm in his conviction to go to Jerusalem, even though He knows this will involve suffering as Jesus states, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you.”
The Letter to the Romans and the reading from the Gospel of Luke set the tone for how I should treat others and how I should live. That is, I should show compassion and concern, especially for the marginalized, and when making decisions start with, “God, how are we going to handle this?” No matter what I encounter, if I use my free will to remain centered on God, nothing
has the power to separate my soul from its destiny to be with God.
by Gladyce Janky
Revelations of Divine Love
- by Julian of Norwich
Fifteenth Revelation, Chapter 64
Thou shalt come up above
It is God’s will that we take His behests and His comfortings as largely and as mightily as we may take them, and also He willeth that we take our abiding and our troubles as lightly as we may take them, and set them at nought. For the more lightly we take them, and the less price we set on them, for love, the less pain we shall have in the feeling of them, and the more thanks and
meed we shall have for them.
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