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God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.
... St. Augustine (354-430)
(What kind of support do you need from God? Ask for help in faith and trust, and be open to receiving.)
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Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67; Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
Mt 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“As He moved on, Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ ” —Matthew 9:9
When your spouse dies, Jesus is there as Lord of the burial. As with Sarah’s burial, He wants to use this occasion to prepare others to enter the promised land (see Gn 23:20). When you’re attracted to someone of the opposite sex and even contemplating marriage, Jesus is there as Lord of the courtship. When you’re thinking about getting a job or changing jobs, Jesus is there to be Lord of your employment and
unemployment.
Jesus wants to become Lord of your eating, sleeping, entertainment, conversation, money, time, education, shopping, parenting, thinking, feeling, sexuality, etc. If He’s not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all.
If Jesus were accepted as Lord, Christians would repeatedly do things impossible for those in the world to understand unless they come to believe in Jesus’ cross and Resurrection.
Prayer: Jesus, be Lord of areas of my life of which I’ve never even thought to turn over to You.
Promise: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” —Ps 106:1
Presentation Ministries
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Abandonment to Divine Providence
- by Jean-Pierre de Caussade
BOOK II,
CHAPTER IV. CONCERNING THE ASSISTANCE RENDERED BY THE FATHERLY PROVIDENCE OF GOD TO THOSE SOULS WHO HAVE ABANDONED THEMSELVES TO HIM
SECTION 12. The Triumph of Humility
To the souls which are faithful to Him, God promises a glorious victory over the powers of the world and of hell.
If the divine action is hidden here below under the appearance of weakness, it is in order to increase the merit of souls which are faithful to it; but its triumph is none the less certain.
The history of the world from the beginning is but the history of the struggle between the powers of the world, and of hell, against the souls which are humbly devoted to the divine action. In this struggle all the advantage seems to be on the side of pride, yet the victory always remains with humility. The image of the world is always presented to our eyes as a statue of gold, brass, iron, and clay. This
mystery of iniquity, shown in a dream to Nabuchodonosor, is nothing but a confused medley of all the actions, interior and exterior, of the children of darkness. This is also typified by the beast coming out of the pit to make war, from the beginning of time, against the interior and spiritual life of man. All that takes place in our days is the consequence of this war. Monster follows monster out of the pit, which swallows, and vomits them forth again amidst incessant clouds of smoke. The
combat between St. Michael and Lucifer, that began in Heaven, still continues. The heart of this once magnificent angel, has become, through envy, an inexhaustible abyss of every kind of evil. He made angel revolt against angel in Heaven, and from the creation of the world his whole energy is exerted to make more criminals among men to fill the ranks of those who have been swallowed up in the pit. Lucifer is the chief of those who refuse obedience to the Almighty. This mystery of iniquity is the
very inversion of the order of God; it is the order, or rather, the disorder of the devil.
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