Tuesday 18 October
Saint Luke, Evangelist Gospel - Luke 10:1-9 The missionary drive, our zeal to go as missionaries, is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It comes from our conviction about our faith in Jesus Christ. It comes from our compassion to all those around the world who is searching for God. It comes from our conformity to the mission mandate given by Jesus Christ. These three elements are important: Our conviction, Our compassion, and Our compliance. This comes from our docility to the Holy Spirit. It’s this docility that will allow us to feel the presence of the kingdom of God very near to us. This docility is that which helps us work together in unity as a team. This docility is that guides us to be like lambs among wolves. This docility is that enables us to be the instruments of peace wherever we are. From this follow, our conviction, compassion, and compliance.
Monday 17 October
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Martyr Gospel - Luke 12:13-21 “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”. This is what makes man and women unhappy. This finite happiness with which we fill our heart is that makes our heart sad. The finiteness of those things which we hold close to our heart, even though we have it in abundance, our heart recognizes its transitory nature. This recognition produces melancholy. Because our heart is the seat of eternal things. Only the love of God can fill our heart. Nothing else. Therefore, if we try to content our heart with our earthly possessions, it only produces unhappiness. May be our ego will be happy with those possessions, but our heart will not be. The word of God asks us to recognize this conflict. Our ego asks us to build bigger barns to store the grains and goods we have, or we make, and our heart looks for the love of God. Therefore, the Gospel puts before us the question: Are you listening to your ego which asks you to look for more possessions or to your heart which looks for the love of God?
Sunday 16 October
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 18:1-8 “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.”. There is an intimate relationship between God and man. This intimate relationship is nurtured and expressed in prayer. And an essential element of relationship is its continuity. God continuously communicates with us because He loves us as His sons and daughters. In prayer this presence of God grows as we imbibe more and more His life and His love. Presence of God through prayer is like either filling in or emptying out. While praying the presence increases and when I stop praying, it starts emptying out. Moreover, we change in prayer. In the parable, the unjust judge changes and decides to do justice due to the constant presence of a just widow. The same thing happens in prayer. In prayer we feel the continuous presence of the love of God and this love of God changes us. The more you let the presence of God fill your life in prayer, better your life becomes. If there is no betterment in our life means, we are not praying enough. We grow in faith when we keep this loving presence of God in our life through incessant prayer. Therefore, the Gospel puts before us the question: Are you praying continuously enough to keep an uninterrupted presence of God in your life?
Saturday 15 October
Saint Teresa of Ávila, Virgin, Doctor Saturday of week 28 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 12:8-12 “Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven”. This is very important because one who is speaking against the Holy Spirit is speaking against the same Spirit who is giving the grace of forgiveness. It is like denying the source and channel of grace. Therefore, it’s vital to recognize the action of the Holy Spirit in our life and in the life of others. When we fail to recognize that, when we close our hearts and eyes to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are shutting ourselves out of the Light. Let’s be vigilant to see and acknowledge the action of the Holy Spirit in others. Every good thing the other person does, let’s appreciate it. It is admitting the action of the Holy Spirit in him or her. Let’s see each small, good thing that happens in our life, it is understanding the action of the Holy Spirit in our life. Therefore, the Gospel puts before us the question: Are you recognizing each action of the Holy Spirit in your life and in the life of others?