Monday, September 7, 2020

MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS





My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me. JN 10:27







1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-8

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,


Truth is powerful. It is pure. It speaks for itself. One may attempt to sully it, obfuscate it, blur the lines, bend it, twist it out of shape, but it is impossible to do so - all one succeeds in doing is blinding and fooling oneself and others. Truth is invincible.


Sin is sin no matter what the world may say, no matter what century we live in, no matter who condones it or what the culture, country, or faith that a person ascribes to dictates. 


Today, St. Paul reminds us that as Christians we are called to live holy, moral, and upright lives. There can be no room for sin in us. Even one speck of unholiness if given a home in us will eventually pollute our soul and our spirit. This is why we must keep a constant vigil against the wiles of the Tempter.


Truth is not a word but the Word itself and the Word is a Person and we who are grafted into Your Body must always live in sincerity and truth.


PSALM 5:5-7, 12


My Beloved, Soul of my soul,


Any God who condones evil is no God at all but an evil spirit. We have seen the Face of God in You. You came into the world to crush the head of Satan and destroy forever his reign of evil and terror. The goal of evil is eternal death You on the other hand are life and our life-giver. 


The poor, the weak, and those who grow fat and sleek by taking advantage of the inability of their victims to retaliate will find that there is a just judge after all. The poor, the voiceless, the marginalized, and all who suffer for taking a stance on their behalf will be heard and justice together with a great reward will be theirs. Grant O Lord, that we who are called by Your Name may stand on the side of Truth and do good for as long as we live.


LUKE 6:6-11


My Beloved, Soul of my soul,


Today St. Luke, the Greek physician, and evangelist tells us of yet another physical healing of a man whose right hand was withered. It is a sabbath day. You enter the synagogue and teach. Your disciples are around You listening keenly to all You say. The Pharisees are also present there is watchful malice in their eyes like predators waiting to pounce on their prey. 


Perhaps the man with the withered hand was brought into the synagogue by the Pharisees because they knew You would heal him and they could accuse You of breaking the sabbath law. As always, You know their intentions, You read their thoughts,  You are aware that they are waiting with bated breath to call You out in an ah-ha moment. You don't disappoint. 


You call the man and ask him to stand before everyone You look at the people around You and ask this question, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Without waiting for a response You addressed the man saying, "Stretch out Your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. St. Luke concludes this passage saying that the Pharisees were enraged and they began to plot together against You. You knew this too but it did not stop You from doing good.

We too ought not to let fear stop us from doing what we ought to do, what we know is right no matter what the consequences may be. 

No comments:

Post a Comment