Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
“From this man's descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'” Acts 13:23-24
Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. John 13:16-17
Piety
You, My child shall be called
The prophet of the Most High,
For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our Lord
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
And the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.
(From the Canticle of Zechariah)
Study
Today, the Gospel finds another way to ask us to make sure our deeds follow our faith and our words – indeed. “Blessed are you if you do it.” Our actions must flow from our understanding.
The example of this is the humility of poor John the Baptist. Even though he was singing God’s praises, he knew that he was just the messenger, not the Savior.
John’s clarity and certainty in considering his place in life is something that is lacking in modern society. With all of our money and power and influence, sometimes, we start to believe our own headlines…yet we must not mistake the outward appearance of fame and fortune for greatness.
Through the Canticle of Mary, we are reminded that the Lord lifts up the ordinary and has a preferential option to help the poor.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My Spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, And has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
Action
What is a symbol of your fame and fortune? Your car? Your 401K with a balance larger than what 2 billion people rely upon for all their annual expenses?
Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. John 13:16-17
Piety
You, My child shall be called
The prophet of the Most High,
For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our Lord
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
And the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.
(From the Canticle of Zechariah)
Study
Today, the Gospel finds another way to ask us to make sure our deeds follow our faith and our words – indeed. “Blessed are you if you do it.” Our actions must flow from our understanding.
The example of this is the humility of poor John the Baptist. Even though he was singing God’s praises, he knew that he was just the messenger, not the Savior.
John’s clarity and certainty in considering his place in life is something that is lacking in modern society. With all of our money and power and influence, sometimes, we start to believe our own headlines…yet we must not mistake the outward appearance of fame and fortune for greatness.
Through the Canticle of Mary, we are reminded that the Lord lifts up the ordinary and has a preferential option to help the poor.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, My Spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, And has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
Action
What is a symbol of your fame and fortune? Your car? Your 401K with a balance larger than what 2 billion people rely upon for all their annual expenses?
Consider living a day without that symbol of your personal wealth. Donate what you would spend maintaining that lifestyle for one day to your favorite charity.
