May 29, 2010
Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh. Jude 20-23
"Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me." They discussed this among themselves and said, "If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say, '(Then) why did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"--they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. Mark 11:30-32
Piety
To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen. Jude 24-25
Study
The warnings issued by Jude and Jesus in today’s readings are admonitions which point to reasons that living close to the Cursillo tripod of piety, study and action will strengthen us in our journey and help us to live closer to God.
By building up the piety practiced in our daily lives, we will keep ourselves “in the love of God.” Frankly, we are always in the love of God. Our piety allows us to remember it. It is not God who forgets but we who replace God with other things in our lives.
We also “build ourselves up in the most holy faith through study of God by reading sacred scripture, the writings of holy women and men, and other relevant sources. However, for some people, reading is not something that they are able to do. For them, “study” might involve listening to people witness about their journey, hearing the message preached at Sunday or daily Mass, listening to tapes or even watching EWTN or movies about related study topics.
Finally, Jude points out in a letter which pre-dated the origin of the Cursillo movement by 1,800 to 1,900 years, that piety and study alone will not suffice. We also must act by saving some who waver (save others by snatching them out of the fire) or praying for others who stray through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Action
Building ourselves up is not an activity confined to Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. The fasting, penance and almsgiving or these holy seasons are vital. However, there are people who need our assistance every day. Think of the popularity of the Thanksgiving food drives. While these certainly help people eat over the holidays, the poor need nourishment every day of the year.
As we press through the days of ordinary time, think about one of your special practices, volunteer efforts, or acts of charity from Lent which could extend into ordinary time.
