Friday 30 September
Friday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Saint Jerome, Priest, Doctor Gospel - Luke 10:13-16 “if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago”. Why is Jesus Christ putting an “if”? Because he respects our freedom and our heart. Our opening of heart is the key to all. If our heart fails to see the action of Spirit in us, there is no way we will have conversion. If our heart fails to respond to a good inspiration, there is no way we will have conversion. If our heart fails to accomplish today what the Word of God suggests, there is no way we will have conversion. If our heart fails to see what the Holy Mass commands to do, there is no way we will have conversion. If our heart fails to see the model of our Saints, there is no way we will have conversion. If our heart fails to listen to what the Mother Church says, there is no way we will have conversion. If our heart fails to see the good others do to us and we fail to have gratitude, there is no way we will have conversion. The gospel passage asks: is our heart open to conversion?
Thursday 29 September
Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels Gospel - John 1:47-51 “I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending”. Today in the feast of Archangels, Jesus indicates the presence of angels and their relationship with him. They are angels of God. They are above the Son of God ascending and descending. Nathanael was amazed to hear that Jesus knew him when he was under the fig tree. But Jesus is inviting him to something bigger. He is inviting Nathanael to be part of heaven, to a dynamic relationship. This happens because of his encounter with Jesus. Often our spiritual life is confined to be under the fig tree, a static relationship, when we don’t move to this encounter with Jesus. But when we have this encounter with Jesus, we will feel the presence of heaven and the angels ascending and descending. Listening and following. Asking and receiving. Knocking and opening. That means our spiritual life becomes a dynamic relationship with Jesus. The gospel passage asks: is our relationship with Jesus a dynamic relationship of ascending and descending angels or just a static relationship of being under the fig tree?
Wednesday 28 September
Wednesday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr Saints Laurence Ruiz and his Companions, Martyrs Gospel - Luke 9:57-62 We want to follow Jesus. That is for sure, but we have our conditions. Our vocation is to follow a person, Jesus Christ. Not an idea, not some ideals. The difference between following a person and an idea is this. When you are following a idea, you can put your own ideas and principles into it. But when you are following a person, you must follow fully that person without conditions. Our conditions cannot be part of our following because in following Jesus Christ, we give up all our conditions. Conditions make compromised discipleship. Whereas unconditional following make radical discipleship. Today the gospel asks us to meditate: my following of Jesus Christ, is it a compromised discipleship or a radical discipleship?
Tuesday 27 September
Tuesday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest Gospel - Luke 9:51-56 Jesus is the one who rebukes us whenever we resort to violence. It’s our natural tendency to react with violence to teach justice, to bring justice. Our sense of justice always empowers us to enforce justice with all means. But it is where the rebuke of Jesus who is going to Jerusalem comes. Rebuke of Jesus who is going to accept the cross for all the sins of others comes. Rebuke of Jesus who is going to bring justice with his love. Love and sharing in truth contain justice in itself. There this gospel passage is asking us: is our sense of justice is provoking us to resort to any means or is provoking us to love and share more in truth? You want to do justice to someone who is poor, just share what you have.