FEASTING ON THE WORD
"If you meditate on the Scriptures it will appear to you in its brilliant splendor." ―St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ( C )Genesis 18:20-32 | Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 | Colossians 2:12-14 | Luke 11:1-13 Today’s readings highlight the importance of persistent prayer. Abraham pleads with God to save the many by the righteous and just lives of the few. Paul emphasizes that Christ brought us to life by forgiving our transgressions that rendered us dead. Finally, our Lord teaches us to see and call upon God as our good and loving Father. Jeremy wants a PlayStation 5 Console for Christmas really badly, but the kid is a real bad seed, and he knows it. He writes a letter to Jesus. "Dear Jesus, if I get a PlayStation 5 Console for Christmas, I'll be good for a whole week." He thinks about it, crosses out what he wrote, and says, "I can't be good for a whole week, I'll be good for five days." He crosses that out and writes, "I'll be good for four days." Then he thinks again and says, "Can't do that." He gets down to one day and says, "I can't even be good for a day." Then in frustration, goes in his mother's room and get the statue of the Virgin Mary, wraps it up in a blanket, puts it in a paper bag, throws it in the closet and says, "Dear Jesus, if I don't get a PlayStation 5 Console for Christmas, you'll never see your mother again!
The first reading from Genesis is one of the most human stories in the Bible. We see Abraham bartering with God to spare the sin cities of Sodom and Gemorrah. He continues to speak and haggle with God as a friend to a friend. He speaks very eloquently in our passage about God pardoning these sinful ones who are in Sodom and Gemorrah and whittles the request for fifty, then forty-five, then forty, thirty, twenty and finally ten just persons to spare the cities and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, ten cannot be found. In his humility Abraham realizes that he must leave the fate of the city in the hands of God who will spare any individual who is just even if only one is righteous. The First reading teaches us to be persistent. Why? Prayer is not meant to “change God’s mind” to transform us, strengthen us and enable us to embrace all that God calls us to do. We are often wrong about what to ask for, because we misidentify what will really make us happy. God knows us better than we know ourselves, since He created us. And He loves us more than we love ourselves, because He is our Father. Not giving up on prayer keeps the line of communication open, allowing God to speak to us also. This can help us see things in a different light, or lead us in a new direction, or soften our hearts. Talking to God is certainly a dimension of prayer but we need to listen to Him, which is an even more important dimension of prayer. We were given two ears and only one mouth for a reason. Very few people in the world believe in zombies, so the television program, “The Walking Dead” does not resonate with us beyond entertainment. The first emotion that zombie films prey upon is our natural fear of death. If a person is bitten by a zombie, infection sets in followed by death. Immediately after, the dead come back to life as zombies. Zombies are not a pretty sight – but neither is death. The apostle Paul's message in his Letter to the Colossians is one of forgiveness. He stresses that Christ brought us to life with Him, forgiving us of the transgressions that rendered us dead. We were dead in our trespasses and uncircumcision of our flesh. The word “trespass” means, “a false step, a side-slip, an offense.” We were dead because of our false steps and offenses against God. Further, we were dead because of our enslavement to sin. God has made us alive together with Christ. God has made us alive when we submit to powerful working of God in our lives. Being made alive involves the forgiveness of everything that once alienated us from God. Joseph was listening to his son, Jose Mello say his bedtime prayer "Dear Harold." At this, he interrupted and said, "Wait a minute, why did you call God 'Harold'?" The little boy looked up and said, "That's what G-pop Yuli, and G-mum Susan and the rest of parish folks call Him. You know the prayer, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, Harold be Thy name." If there’s one name for God that has the power to dramatically transform the lives of believers, it’s that we can call God “Abba” or “Father.” To see and call upon God as our Father changes everything. In the Gospel, Jesus is asked by one of His disciples to teach them to connect to the Father. Many of us have a tainted view of earthly fathers, but today God wants to renew your view of him as your perfect heavenly Father. We must begin to relate to him as our good and loving Father above all else. We must cast aside any notion that he is angry with us, far from us, or void of affection or desire for us. We will only be drawn to our heavenly Father to the degree that we take him at his word and trust in his love for us. Take time today to receive the overwhelming, unconditional love of God for you. Allow his love to reorient your perspectives and beliefs. And respond to his great love by opening your heart and having fellowship with your all-loving heavenly Father. Seeing God correctly is essential to centering your life around him and his presence. If you are at a loss for words today, pray with me that God would plant in our hearts the desire to stay connected to Him who alone gives us all good things: When our faith is weak, Lord teach us to pray: Our Father, in heaven. When we are inclined to forget about you, Lord, teach us to pray: Holy be your name. When we feel pessimistic about our lives and about the state of the world, Lord, teach us to pray: Your Kingdom come. When we have difficult decisions to make, and are tempted to take the easy way out, Lord, teach us to pray: Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. When we complain about little things and forget that millions of people are poor and hungry, Lord, teach us to pray: Give us today our daily bread. When we are worried about our sins, and find it hard to forgive those who sin against us, Lord, teach us to pray: Forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. When we are troubled by temptation, Lord, teach us to pray: Do not bring us to the test. When we find it hard to cope, Lord, teach us to pray: But deliver us from evil. When we are preoccupied with ourselves and our own glory, Lord, teach us to pray: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen! <enrique,ofs>
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About JeffJeff Jacinto, PhD, DHum Archives
March 2024
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