Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
By Beth DeCristofaro
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty. (Psalm 131:1)
(Jesus) said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. (Luke 14:12-14)
Piety
Let us pray: O Glorious St. Thomas More, Patron of Statesmen, Politicians, Judges and Lawyers, your life of prayer and penance and your zeal for justice, integrity and firm principle in public and family life led you to the path of martyrdom and sainthood. Intercede for our Statesmen, Politicians, Judges and Lawyers, that they may be courageous and effective in their defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life - the foundation of all other human rights. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. (From the Litany of
Study
Who do we invite to the table of our lives? An unfortunate fact of current society, it is dangerous to invite into our house those we don’t know. Does this give us grounds, however, to actually close ourselves off to invitations? Does this give us grounds, however, to actually close ourselves off to meeting new, different, children of God? Do we let fear lead us into intolerance and being critical of those unknown and different from ourselves?
It is a constant struggle, but with the potency of grace I can, we can, act with a “yes” to Christ’s admonition from today’s Gospel: blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. (Luke 14:14) And Paul’s words: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy … each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others. (Philippians 2:1, 3-4)
Action
As our country decides its future direction, remember Thomas Moore to whom we pray for the dignity of all human life: the unborn, the elderly, the poor, the confused, the mentally ill, the unemployed, the prisoner, the noncombatant, the soldier, the activist, the Wall Street financier, the unbeliever, the faithful, and the ones with whom we most disagree.
Consider who is in need of encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy. The Retreat for People Facing Serious Illness will be held December 12-14, 2008, at Dominican Retreat,
No comments:
Post a Comment